CAN FORMER Pussycat Doll Kimberly Wyatt impress John Torode and Gregg Wallace in Celebrity MasterChef?

YOU'D THINK someone who sang for millions as a member of the Pussycat Dolls would find the MasterChef kitchen a breeze, but that wasn’t the case for Kimberly Wyatt.

Despite her pop heritage, when it came to whipping up a meal for judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace she was a nervous wreck.

“My first day was so intense,” says the 33-year-old star. “When you watch the programme you think ‘That’s possible,’ but my goodness, I didn’t know such a stress was possible in the kitchen.”

Kimberly’s not the only one to feel the heat of the MasterChef kitchen. The new series of Celebrity MasterChef kicks off this week, putting another 20 celebrities through their cookery paces.

I want my daughter to see that by pushing yourself you get to discover what you are truly capable of,

Kimberly Wyatt

Over the course of six weeks, the 12 programmes will see the celebrities grill, flip and whisk their way towards the coveted trophy. In this, its 10th anniversary year, Celebrity MasterChef is as tough as ever.

Prior to Kimberly’s appearance in the third of the four heats, Sarah Harding, Sheree Murphy, Amanda Donohoe and Chesney Hawkes will pull on the white apron in a bid to be crowned Celebrity MasterChef 2015.

The first of their tests is the invention test, where the celebrities have to cook a meal from a selection of previously unseen ingredients.

“I was shaking like a leaf when I saw what I had to cook with,” says Kimberly. “I thought I might throw up when I saw the liver and the fish staring at me!

All the while I was thinking, ‘I don’t know what to cook, I don’t know what to cook’. Then I thought, ‘I’ve got a time limit so I need to just get on with it.’

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Kimberly is one of 20 celebrities in the new series of Celebrity MasterChef

I was hoping ideas would come to me as I cooked.”

After completing that task, the five celebrities were then whisked off to a London restaurant to help out with lunch service. And the final test saw Kimberly cooking a two-course meal of her choosing for John and Gregg.

“It was exciting, putting yourself out there and bringing your kitchen to their table,” she says.

“I wanted to make something healthy, something

I would eat but I had to hope there was enough flavour in there to tickle the judges’ taste buds.”

After the three tests, one contestant will be sent home each week. Kimberly isn’t allowed to say what happens next, but admits it was one of the highlights of her career so far.

“I feel the best way to live is to constantly evolve,” she says. “I started the competition cooking a good full English, some granola and I was learning to make a Sunday roast. Doing the competition pushed me further outside my comfort zone than ever before.”

Back at home, Kimberly’s husband, Max, and six-month-old daughter, Willow, were pleased she’d taken part. “Max was extremely supportive,” says Kimberly. “I practised all my meals on him and he was brutally honest.”

Willow herself is so far only eating porridge and purées, but Kimberly admits her growing family was one of the reasons she put herself through the competition. “Creating delicious meals for my family is important. Food is the foundation that brings everybody together.”

And being a great mother is her top priority. “I want my daughter to see that by pushing yourself you get to discover what you are truly capable of,” she says. “I’m so pleased to have done MasterChef. I’ve learned so much.”